Track-jack



(No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT Enron.

JOSEPH MOMURRIN, OF SHOSHONE, IDAHO.

TRACK-JACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,935, datedSeptember 12, 1893.

Application filed June 12, 1893- Serial No. 477,319- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MCMURRIN, of Shoshone, in the county of Loganand State of Idaho, have invented a new and useful Improvement inTrack-Jacks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in jacks, and it has for itsobject to provide a jack especially adapted for use upon railroads, forlifting for example railroad rails, and it has for its oject to providea jack which will be exceedingly simple and durable and will be capableof being readily transported from place to place and readily manipulatedby one individual, and in connection with which no other lever need beemployed but a railroad pick, or like tool which is always at hand.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the jack. Fig. 2 is a partial sideelevation of the standard or body of the jack, and a partial sideelevation and vertical section of the lifting arms and dogs whichco-operate with the body. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken throughthe body or standard, practically on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2,illustrating thelifting arm in plan view; and Fig. 4 is a detail planView of one of the dogs.

In carrying out the invention the body of the jack consists of astandard 10, which may be made of cast or forged metal, and it isprovided at its center with a slot 11, extending from the top andpreferably through to the bottom, the bottom of the standard beingprovided with one or two feet 12, whereby it may be secured by means ofbolts or rivets or otherwise to a base 13. The standard 10, is furtherprovided with a series of teeth 14, the teeth being given an upwardinclination; and the upper surfaces of the teeth are flat or straight.The top surfaces of the teeth on one side of the standard aretransversely opposite about the center of the teeth of the oppositeside. Thus the teeth upon the two sides may be said to alternate inlocation. M

A lifting arm or ratchet slide A, is adapted to travel upon thestandard; this lift arm or ratchet slide extends across the standardbeyond each of its toothed sides, and the said ratchet slide usuallyconsists of a box-like structure, comprising two parallel sides 15, endplates 16 and one or more cross bars 17. Ordinarily the cross barsnearest the ends eX- tend from top to bottom of the box-like structure,while the intermediate cross bars are located at the lower portion ofthe sides only, as shown in Fig. 2. A lift bar 18, is held to slide inthe slot 11 of the standard. Thislift bar is connected with the centralportion of the ratchet slide through the medium of the bolt 19, as isbest shown in Fig. 3, and the said bolt is usually provided with twoheads 20, one at each end, and in each head a slot 21, is produced.

The lifting arm or ratchet slide is adapted to carrytwo dogs, designatedrespectively as 22 and 23. The dogs are located upon the bottom of theratchet slide, one at each end. The dogsfor the greater portion of theirlength are of the same width as the ratchet slide, but at one end thedogs are increased in width, and in the wider end of each dog a recess24, is made, the inner or end wall whereof is preferably beveled, asillustrated at 25 in the said Fig. 4C. In the narrower portion of eachdog, or what may be termed its shank section, the recess 24 being in thehead section. Said shank section is provided with an opening 26,ordinarily of rectangular contour, and with a longitudinal slot 27. Whenthe dogs are placed in position upon the ratchet slide, therecessedportion of the head of each slide will engage with a toothedsurface of the standard; the head therefore extends across the front andrear faces of the standard, and each of said heads likewise projectsbeyond the front and rear faces of the ratchet slide, as shown in Figs.1 and 3, while the slots 26 in the shank portions of the dogs will be inregistry with the spaces between the end projections 17 of the slide andthe end wall, as shown in Fig. 2.

held in connection with the slide A, by passing suitable bolts 28through the slots 27 in The dogs are too the dogs, and preferably intothe projections 17 of the slides, while the dogs are held normally incontact with the toothed surfaces of the standards by means of springs29, which are secured upon the upper end portions of the ratchet slide,the lower portions of the springs bearing against and exerting inwardtension upon the dogs.

The lifting bar 18 connected with the lifting arm or ratchet slide isprovided at its lower end with a rail rest 30, which rest is preferablymade to extend beyond one side of the standard at right angles thereto,the article to be lifted or to be lowered being located upon'said rest.Any form of handle is attached to the back of the standard 10,preferably near the base, to facilitate carrying the jack from place toplace.

It will be observed that nolever is connected with the machine, as anordinary railroad pick B, or any equivalent tool is adapted for use as alever. The ratchet slide is elevated by rocking said slide endwise,alternately raising and lowering it, and this is accomplished forexample by passing one point of the pick down through the end opening inthe slide and through the registering opening 26 in one of the dogs. Incanting the pick outward at its lower end by engaging with the outerwall of the opening 26 in the dog, it will draw the dog outward againstthe tension of the spring, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2, andthereby disengage said dog from the tooth upon which it may rest. Now byalternately raising the ends in which the dogs are located to engagewith another tooth and then bearing down upon that end, using the toothas a fulcrum, the opposite end of the ratchet slide will be rockedupward until it engages with atooth upon the opposite side, when thelifting operation of the side of the slide in which the dog is locatedis again repeated, to be followed by the depression of that end to raisethe opposite end of the slide farther if the article upon the rest 30 isto be lifted higher. point to pass through but does not touch it; inraising, the dog is pushed back by the ratchet tooth. When the ratchetslide is to be lowered, the pick is placcd in one of the slots 21 of thebolt heads 20, and by carrying the pick, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 2 to an engagement alternately with the projecting inner ends ofthe dogs, the dogs will be alternately carried out of engagement withthe teeth of the standard, and at each disengagement, when downwardpressure is exerted upon the ratchet slide, it will drop the distance ofone tooth.

, A jack of the above described character is not only exceedinglysimple, involving but few parts, but it is exceedingly strong, and it iscapable of being manipulated by one person with any tool of the natureof a railroad pick that may be at hand. Furthermore the The opening 26allows the pick device may be readily carried from place to place, andthere is nothing in its construction that will be affected byinclementweather, nor will the teeth wear out unduly, since the pressure of thedogs is always inward, and the dogs only tend to cut the teeth deeper inthe standard.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A jack for the purpose described, comprising astandard toothed on opposite sides, the teeth being pitched in onedirection and alternately located, a ratchet slide having movement uponthe standard, and spring-controlled dogs carried by the ratchet slideand engaging with the teeth of the standard, said ratchet slide and thedogs being provided with registering openings for the reception of arailroad pick or like tool, as and for the purpose specified.

2. Ajack for the purpose described, the same consisting of a standardhaving alternately arranged teeth at opposite sides, all the teethhaving the same pitch, a lifting arm or ratchet slide capable of rockingmovement upon the standard, spring controlled dogs carried by thelifting arm or ratchet slide, said dogs being normally in engagementwith the teeth of the standard, the dogs being further provided withopenings regis tering with the openings of the lifting arm or slide andadapted to receive a lever, and a platform connected with the liftingarm or ratchet slide and adapted to be raised or lowered by the rockingmovement of the slide, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a jack for the purpose described, the combination, with a standardhaving a slideway produced therein, and teeth formed alternately uponopposite edges, the teeth having the same slant, of a lifting arm orratchet slide capable of rocking movement upon the standard, a guidebarprovided with a platform, having movement in the slide way of thestandard and pivotally connected with the lifting arm or ratchet slide,dogs having sliding movement upon the bottom of the lifting arm orratchet slide, spring-pressed at their outer ends and bearing at theirinner ends against the teeth of the standard, said dogs at their innerends extending beyond the front and rear faces of the slide, both theslide and the dogs being provided with registering openings for 'thereception of a lever, and slotted projections located upon the sides ofthe slide, between the inner ends of the dogs, the slots being likewiseadapted for the reception of a lever, as and for the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH MCMURRIN.

Witnesses:

M. M. BURDIOK, J. E, BURKE.

